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The
BroadCAST
Awards Programs
Applications
for the 2006 American Express Caribbean Environmental Awards
(formerly CHA/AMEX Green Hotel of the Year Awards) are NOW AVAILABLE! Click
HERE to download your copy today!
Final date
for 2006 submission is March
24th 2006.
American Express Caribbean Environmental
Awards:
The
Caribbean Environmental Awards
demonstrate the Caribbean travel
and tourism industry’s continued
commitment to pursuing
sustainable tourism development
in the region. The Awards were
developed to identify, promote
and recognize in each calendar
year, hotels that are exemplars
of responsible environmental and
social performance through their
policies, plans and activities.
The Awards are administered by
CHA/CAST and sponsored by
American Express in two
categories: Large Hotels with ≥
76 rooms and Small Hotels with ≤
75 rooms. Two achievement
awards are given to the
runners-up in each category. For
each category, hotels must
demonstrate significant
reductions of waste streams
through innovative means,
increased employee awareness and
motivation, including guest
involvement in conservation
programs and contributions to
the development of adjacent
communities.
Finalists in the large and small
hotel category are selected and
visited by inspectors sponsored
by the Caribbean Hotel
Association to verify
application submissions. A panel
comprised of regional
organizations and industry
experts make the final award
decision based on the
inspectors' findings.
2005 CHA/AMEX AWARDS
CONGRATULATIONS to the following properties who
obtained the highest combined scores, based on the
following 5 criteria: environmental management &
stewardship, conservation of natural resources,
awareness & community activities, infrastructure &
technology, and health & safety:
-
Small
Hotel Category – 3 Rivers Eco
Lodge, Dominica
-
Large
Hotel Category – Sunscape Casa del Mar,
Dominican Republic
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Awards and
Certification Programs
Certification Programs
In
addition to internal programs, CAST also
promotes various
regional and international certification
programs.
1)
Green Globe 21
GREEN GLOBE 21 is a
global benchmarking and certification
program managed by Green Globe Asia
Pacific (GGAP) from Canberra, Australia,
which facilitates sustainable travel and
tourism for consumers, companies and
communities. This global program is
based on Agenda 21 and the principles
for Sustainable Development endorsed by
182 governments at the United Nations
Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992.
The
GREEN GLOBE 21 Company Standard (GG21)
is a benchmarking and certification program designed for
businesses in 25 different sectors of the travel and
tourism industry e.g. accommodations, administrative
offices, airlines, airports, attractions, cruise
vessels, golf courses, restaurants, vehicle rentals,
tour operators and many more.
 The
Standard requires an operation to first establish a
baseline level of performance or
Benchmark for
environmental and socially sustainable performance.
They can then display the Green Globe Benchmark logo
(without the tick!). Each year, GGAP monitors and
reports on those business operations that have improved
or maintained their Benchmarks.
 To
be considered environmentally and socially responsible,
the operations must meet all of the requirements of the
GG21 Standard and be independently audited before
becoming Certified
and earning the right to display the GREEN GLOBE logo
(with the tick!)!
FOR
A COMPLETE LIST OF CARIBBEAN GREEN GLOBE CERTIFIED AND
BENCHMARKED PROPERTIES SEE THE CAST
GREEN GLOBE PAGE.
2)
 Quality Tourism for the
Caribbean (QTC)
is a program which seeks to
strengthen the overall quality and
competitiveness of the Caribbean tourism
industry through the establishment and
promotion of quality standards and
systems. These systems are designed to
ensure healthy, safe and environmentally
conscious products and services.
Participating countries include:
Barbados, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Trinidad
and Tobago, and the 9 countries of the
Organization of Eastern Caribbean States
(OECS). For more information on QTC,
CAST at
cast@cha-cast.com or CAREC at
http://www.carec.org/.
3)
Blue Flag
is an international voluntary
certification scheme for beaches and
marinas operating in Europe by the
Foundation for Environmental Education
in Europe (FEEE) since 1980’s. The
Blue Flag program in the Caribbean is
managed for fee by a Caribbean Blue Flag
Consortium comprising of: CAST,
Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and
Caribbean Conservation Association (CCA). It has
proven to be effective as an
environmental tool to enhance safety
management and environmental quality of
beaches and marinas. Under the Blue
Flag award system, beaches that fulfill
a number of exacting criteria regarding
factors such as bathing water quality,
cleanliness and safety are given the
right to fly the Blue Flag. The Blue
Flag has become a European symbol of
coastal environmental quality and is
sought by local authorities for the
status it confers upon them and the
attraction it has for beach tourists.
Other regions such as the Caribbean are
adopting the program to meet the
required criteria without disregarding
their particular characteristics. For
more information about Blue Flag contact
Andree Griffith at the Blue Flag
Secretariat, Caribbean Conservation
Association. |
